Friday, June 24, 2016

May I Serve You

People hire us to use our skills to give them what they want and expect for a price. It's common to refer to carpet cleaning as a "service business". Mainly, because we don't sell a product. Are we really, however, simply selling performance? We must provide the best total performance time and again to succeed. But it's the personal service that allows us to grow and be respected. What are your reps telling customers? Make sure they are not playing policeman with too many rules that have been installed.

Business must start solving customers' wants and problems. Keep in mind three simple rules:

Rule 1: We want to do business (clean their carpet).

Rule 2: We solve people's needs by using our minds and by utilizing our products and skills.

Rule 3: We like our customers and want to go beyond the norm for them.

Are you in the Carpet Cleaning business? No, you are not. You are in the People business and that means creative and helpful solutions in exchange for their business.

Thank you for reading Bane's Blog®.

The Bane-Clene® Team

Friday, June 17, 2016

Think Profit!

Not everyone has what it takes to make a profit. More than half of the people who try to start profit-making businesses give up in less than two years. Less than one venture in five lasts ten years.

Most of the time, these people are good at what they do; however, they do not know how to price their goods or services at a price that will turn a profit.

You will need to figure your labor, material and overhead. After you have these costs of doing business, you will need to decide your percentage of profit margin.

Costs + Profit = Price

To make a profit, you must have customers who will buy your service at the price you set. Price your business carefully so as to be competitive in your market. Being the cheapest is NOT wise. However, being the most expensive can be tricky. You must deliver value.

Be sure your customer gets full value for his or her money. Keep your customers in mind at all times. Make certain your company's work is of excellent quality - the kind of quality work people are happy to buy at the price you set.

Try to work as efficiently as possible. Make sure the work you do represents value for your customers. These are the factors which produce profits.

Thank you for reading Bane's Blog®.

The Bane-Clene® Team

Friday, June 10, 2016

Words

When dealing with an unhappy customer, it is important to choose your words carefully.

Don't use "always," "never," "must," or "you have to". Use "however" instead of "but".

The red flag goes up when a customer hears, "it's against our policy". Instead, say "it's not within our normal procedure or approach".

If you don't have an understanding of non-verbal communication, the best words will fail.

The meaning of words accounts for only 10% of a message. Voice tone and body language account for 90%. Don't roll your eyes or shrug your shoulders, if your customer asks you to do something that is out of ordinary. If it's something you can't or won't do, tell the customer " I apologize; however, I am unable to do that for you". If they ask why, state "once again I apologize but it is not within our normal procedures or approach".

Remember, it's not what you say but how you communicate what you are saying. Treat each customer as if they were your only customer with dignity and respect. One because it is the right way and two because that is the way we wish to be treated.

Thank you for reading Bane's Blog®.

The Bane-Clene® Team

Friday, June 03, 2016

It's Not a 100 Yard Dash

A carpet cleaning business succeeds or fails because of its total productivity. Not how fast or speedy the job is done. In business, productivity is the sum total of all the efforts performed in the operation of the business. Certainly choosing the right equipment is very important, but "speed" is only a very small factor in total productivity. What about the cost of operating the equipment? What about ease of operation and costs of repairs and downtime?

A carpet cleaning business must be efficient in all areas of its operation. Besides the aforementioned effects of having the right equipment, effective and lowest cost use solution chemicals will enhance the productivity. Properly designed and placed advertising must be put in to use. Knowledgeable personnel must be trained to take calls and book appointments. Technicians should be schooled on proper techniques, chemical usage and application, customer relations and equipment usage. Sound business practices should be adhered to when selecting accountants, attorneys, insurance advisors and other professionals. Keeping accurate internal records and budget management is also very important.

In essence, a company is successful because all of its components work efficiently together. How fast the job was done is almost an invisible factor.

Thank you for reading Bane's Blog®.

The Bane-Clene® Team